Metallurgical crane.



No. 6972788. Patented Apr. l5, |902..

n. w. BLAIR. METALLURGICAL CRANE.

(Application filed Jan. 17, 1902J (No Model.)

ATTO

nTaNT @unica DAVID VESLEY BLAIR, OF PERTH AMBOY, NE'W JERSEY, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO JAMES C. MCCOY, OF PERTI-I AMBOY, NEW JERSEY.

METALLURGICAL CRANE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 697,788, dated April15, 1902. Applicatiouflled January 17, 1902. Serial No. 90.114. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID WESLEY BLAIR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Perth Amboy, in the county of Middlesex and State of NewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallur`gical Cranes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to metallurgical cranes-that is, instruments to beused for handling the anodes and cathodes of a metallurgical bath, moreparticularly of the kind used in copper-works.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing my invention in use. Fig. 2 is anend elevation of the same, the metallurgical bath being shown partly insection.

A frame l of the usual pattern employed for the purpose is provided withdepending hangers 2 2, which support shafts 3 3, said shafts beingnormally free to rock. Set collars et are secured upon one end of eachof the shafts 3 3, each collar being adjacent to one of the bearings 5.This is for the purpose of enabling the shafts to be shiftedlongitudinally. lVhen'thus shifted, the bearings 5 adjacent to the setcollars el. will occupy the position indicated by dotted lines at 5a.Skeleton frames 6 are mounted upon the bearings 5 and are freeto rock.Upon the lower ends of these frames 6 are brackets 7, supportingdepending hooks 8, provided with lateral extending bills 8 for thepurpose of handling the electrodes. The anodes are shown at 9 and areprovided with ears lO, which normally rest upon the edges of the vat 11.The cathodes are shown at 12 and are supported by rods 13, which extenddirectly across said vat and are supported therefrom.

The apparatus is used as follows: Supposing the operatives desire toraise all of the anodes simultaneously, the frames 6 are rocked asunder,as indicated in Fig. 2, and the shafts 3 are caused to slidelongitudinally, so that the hooks 8 pass under and engage the ears 10 ofthe anodes. The frame 1 now being raised bodily upward by hand orothwise, the anodes are of course all lifted to any desired distance. Ifnow it be desired to raise all of the cathodes simultaneously, theanodes are either replaced in the vat or taken oif the hooks andtheframes G are swung inward toward each other, as indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 2. The shafts now being moved bodily endwise, as before,the hooks 8 pass under and engage the rods 13, thereby enabling theframe 1 to raise all of the cathodes.

I am aware that frames have heretofore been used foi-,liftingelectrodes. By making the shafts so that they can be shifted bodilyendwise, however, I am'enabled to make one set of hooks 8 answer forboth anodes and cathodes. In other words, I avoid the necessity ofhaving separate sets of hooks for an* odes and cathodes. The mereexpense of providing a double supply of hooks may not be very great, butthe hooks crowd each other and necessitate the apparatus being madeunduly heavy and cumbersome, and, moreover, they interfere with eachother to some extent in practice. My idea is to have a single set ofhooks parallel with each side of the vat and to have the hooks soarranged that they can be readily transposed from anodes to cathodes,and vice versa.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A metallurgical crane,comprisinga member to bedisposed over a metallurgical bath and adapted to be lifted, a pluralityof longitudinal shafts connected with said member and free to shiftendwise, and hooks connected with said shafts and adapted to engageelectrodes, the arrangement being such that said hooks are free toengage said electrodes when said shaft is shifted endwise.

2. A metallurgical crane,comprisingamem ber disposed over ametallurgical bath and adapted to be lifted, a plurality of shaftsjournaled to said member and normally free to shift endwise, andleashaped hooks connected with said shafts, the arrangement being suchthat said hooks can be brought into engagement with the electrodes bythe longitudinal movement of said shafts.

3. Ametallurgical cranc,co1nprisinga mcm- IOO ber to be lifted, aplurality of longitudinal shafts connected therewith and free to slideendwise and also to rock radially, and hooks connected with said shafts;the arrangement being such that said hooks may be brought intosimultaneous engagement with a particular class of electrodes, and thenbylongitudinal and lateral movements of said shafts, brought intosimultaneous engagement with a separate class of said electrodes.

4. Arnetallurgicalcrane,comprisingamem ber located over a metallurgicalbath and adapted to be lifted, a plurality of longitudinal shaftsconnected therewith and free to move endwise and also free to rock, aplurality of L-shaped hooks connected with said shafts, the hooks uponeither shaft all being disposed in the same plane and having their billsextended in the same direction; the arrangement being such that saidhooks can all be rocked simultaneously, and can also be movedsimultaneously in the general direction in which the bills extend,forthe purpose of engaging electrodes.

5. A metallurgical crane, comprising a frame 1o be located over ametallurgical bath having anodes and cathodes disposed alternately, aplurality ot' shafts mounted upon said frame, a plurality of hooksconnected with said shafts, said hooks being free to rock in planesextending across said bath, and also free to move in the generallongitudinal direction of said bath; the arrangement being such thatsaid hooks are free to simultaneously engage all of said anodes, or tosimultaneously engage all of said cathodes, as desired.

6. A metallurgical crane, comprising a frame to be located over ametallurgical bath having anodes and cathodes disposed alternately, aplurality of shafts mounted upon said frame, and aplurality of L-shapedhooks connected with said shaft, all the hooks of each shaft beingdisposed in the same plane and normally having their bills turned in thesame direction, said hooks being free to rock in planes extending acrosssaid bath, and also free to travel in the general longitudinal directionof said bath; the arrangement being such that said hooks are free tosimultaneously engage all of said anodes, or to simultaneously engageall of said cathodes, as desired.

7. Ametallurgical crane,comprisinga member to be disposed over ametallurgical bath and adapted to be lifted, and rows of hooks adaptedto engage electrodes, said hooks being free to move in the generaldirection of said rows and also to move transversely to said rows,whereby to engage electrodes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID WESLEY BLAIR.

Witnesses:

SIDNEY RIDDLESTORFFER, PERCY ROTHWELL.

